One Simple Question
by RobinxRaven writer
Summary: Robin came to terms with what he felt, he practiced what he was going to say and imagined all the responses he could get... the only thing he could do now was ask.


"Raven, can I take you out on a date?"

He watched as the girl in question turned around from the window she'd been looking out of. She looked at him carefully, and Robin didn't move as he waited for the inevitable no she was going to give him. He tried not to stand too still, or appear too worried. He'd asked her the question in a casual tone of voice, and his stance matched it as well, arms at his side as he leaned his weight slightly more on one foot. He hoped it wasn't too casual; he hadn't spent all that time practicing for nothing.

"...Are you serious?" Raven asked after a moment.

He kept his shoulders from slumping at the response he'd received, and straightened up a little. "Yes, I am." He said simply. It was a serious question in response to another serious question, and he saw no point in trying to defuse the situation with a joke or sarcasm. However, Raven's face remained neutral after he answered. _"And here it comes."_ If he was going to get turned down, then at least when he thought about the situation later he could say he didn't back down from the challenge.

Raven cocked her head to the side a little and took a couple of steps towards him. "Why?"

Robin couldn't stop himself from smiling a little. It was a silly question, after all. "Because I want a chance to try and make you happy." He told her honestly. Robin took a step towards her. "And I want to do that in a more... intimate way than friendship allows."

"Why?" Raven asked again. "What's wrong with just being friends?"

"Nothing." Robin answered. There were probably a dozen different ways he could've followed that up, but he chose to remain silent. He could've said something cliche like, _"Friendship isn't enough for me."_ But that would've been a lie. He could sit at the dinner table with Raven, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beastboy probably for the rest of his life and just... be fulfilled. There _was_ nothing wrong with simply being her friend. Her friendship meant a lot to him, and he wasn't going to take it for granted.

And so, silence settled between them for a few moments. Not a heavy silence or an awkward silence, but just a calm silence while Raven kept looking between his uncovered eyes. Eventually she asked, "Why do you want to be more than friends?" Before he could respond she followed up with, "There are other girls you have more in common with. There are other girls you could spend more time with. There are other girls who want to make _you _happy. Why me?" Her face and tone had been neutral up till then, but fell as she asked the last question.

Robin took another step closer, and he smiled again, this time a smaller, more honest smile. "I'm not interested in those other girls." He told her. Raven's response made him worry that she was afraid he'd ditch her the moment an easier option came around, and he wanted her to know that wasn't the truth. "I'm interested in you, at least enough to want to give us a chance." His voice had dropped to just above a whisper now that they were standing so close. He wanted to reach out and place a hand on her arm, but he kept his hands at his sides.

Raven didn't respond to him immediately, waiting a few seconds as she stared at him curiously, like he was suddenly a different person. "Do you really mean that?" She asked softly, taking a small step closer to him and erasing a few more inches of space between them. Robin nodded slowly. He wouldn't lie to her about this. "Dating me won't be easy." She said, her lips twitching in an attempt to suppress a smile. "I'm very picky about a lot of things."

"I think I can handle that." Robin said, hoping beyond hope that she was really about to say yes and that his face wasn't as red as it felt. He took a small step forward, removing a couple more inches between them. He was close enough now that he could smell the faint scent of shampoo coming off her, could feel warmth of her body and see the subtle rise and fall of her shoulders as she breathed.

Raven finally allowed a small smile to shine through. "Then where do you want to go?"

"...Well, I didn't actually have a place in mind." Robin admitted. "I thought you'd turn me down." He broke her gaze and looked down at the ground, a little embarrassed.

"Then how about we just hold hands for a little while?" She asked after a moment, reaching forward and interlacing their fingers. "We can figure out the rest later."

Robin looked back up and nodded, returning to the window with Raven and looking out over the ocean and to the beach, where he could see the outlines of people enjoying their day, just like he was.


End file.
